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A Tyranny of Souls by Bruce Dickinson

Near-legendary Iron Maiden front-man Bruce Dickinson releases his sixth studio album through Mayan/Sanctuary Records. Seven years have elapsed since the vocalist's last fully-fledged solo release: The Chemical Wedding, during which time he made a hugely successful return to the stage with ‘Maiden, recording two highly acclaimed albums and touring the globe several times.

Follow this link to check out the parananoia-inducing rock gem of a video for Abduction right here.

A Tyranny of Souls sees him renewing a fruitful collaboration with guitarist/producer/writer Roy Z, of the Latin-based rock group, Tribe of Gypsies. Z has worked with Bruce's since 1994's Balls To Picasso album, also producing the likes of Helloween, Downset, Halford and most recently Judas Priest's reunion album, Angel Of Retribution.

A deejay, broadcaster and qualified airline pilot, Bruce is a man for all seasons whose punishing schedule would terrify a less driven soul. It was following on from the end of the last Maiden tour that Bruce saw an opportunity to work alongside Roy again.

"With Maiden, once the band have finished up on the tours, we all tend to go our separate ways and do our own thing for a while until it's time to saddle up again for the next album. I knew I could seize the chance to work with Roy in between his work on the new ‘Priest Album. We both work quickly together which I like and the recording is very organic so it came together quite easily. I'm very proud of it."

Bruce and Roy had exchanged ideas in demo before commencing work at Roy's Los Angeles home in February of 2004. Guitar and bass parts had already been cut by Z, with David Moreno contributing some incredible drumming. Keyboards would later be added by a shady individual known only as ‘Maestro Mistheria’. "He's Italian," exclaims Bruce enthusiastically, "but nobody's met him. We email him the tracks, and he sends them back overlain with millions of ideas. They're all fantastic, and we just chose the ones that we want!"

All The Young Dudes?

Only slightly less bizarrely, the material was recorded in a single room containing just Pro-Tools recording equipment, a microphone... and a bed. "I'd fallen off stage and ripped some chest muscles, I was in absolute agony," relates Bruce. "I could sing for about 10 minutes at a time, but then I'd have to lie down."

Tyranny Of Souls, then, is an album of remarkable poise and accomplishment. Much like the man that made it, its 10 tracks encompass various moods. The album takes the listener on an adventurous journey. It begins in punishing fashion, all apocalyptic drumming and fiery guitar work, before Navigate The Seas Of The Sun supplies what Bruce calls "a little chill-out moment". From there, it builds to a spectacular conclusion, with many high-points along the way.

Like its predecessor, which tapped into the occult science of alchemy and the poetry and art of William Blake as its twin sources of inspiration, A Tyranny Of Souls offers depth, intrigue and dark wisdom beyond the norm. Although he isn't comfortable being portrayed as such, Dickinson is one of heavy metal's deep thinkers. Instead of the usual clichéd metal imagery, a 15th Century painting of Flemish artist Hans Hemling's depiction of hell adorns the album's sleeve. Bruce's well-publicised endeavours in a variety of different fields - he's also a published novelist and an expert at sword-fencing - all serve to defy the notion of heavy metal as the domain of the brainless Neanderthal.

"I've always hated those type of generic theories," shrugs Bruce. "But I also dislike being trotted out as the token metal guy with a brain, because it's so demeaning to everybody else and so clichéd and untrue that the Metal fraternity is less intelligent. Most of the time it's the complete opposite All I can do is try to be me."

The album's piece de resistance is its title track. At turns soothingly melodic and staggeringly powerful, it can only be described as a juggernaut.

"The opening part was also cribbed from the three witches in Macbeth. Basically, it's what the whole track ended up being about the supernatural manipulating people from behind their backs."

Supernatural Sci-Fi

Lyrically, the album dips in and out of sci-fi and aviation-related areas. There are no prizes for guessing what the song Abduction is about, but Soul Intruders is a distant cousin, Bruce wondering aloud whether "there are loose spirits floating around the universe. They can zap into our bodies and inhabit us, a bit like a computer virus, and we don't even know they're there. When we die, they just attach themselves to somebody else."

Dickinson recently presented a series called Flying Heavy Metal on the Discovery Channel, and Kill Devil Hill tells the story of the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, creators of the world's first airplane and its pioneering flight in the year 1900. "The odds were stacked against them," says Bruce incredulously. "They needed a steady wind in the right direction at exactly 20 knots to make that plane fly. What hand of fate would make them be there at exactly the right time, in combination with the right elements? It was all about getting them up there alongside the angels. Maybe God gave them a push?"

Devil On A Hog, meanwhile, is an anthemic hard rocker that harks back to Bruce's 1990 solo debut, Tattooed Millionaire. "I was imagining the devil getting kicked out of heaven and going around picking up chicks," imparts its creator.

A Tyranny of Souls is out now through Mayan/Sanctuary.

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